Two of Rome’s most visited sites are within walking distance: the entrance to the Vatican Museums in ten minutes, and St Peter’s Basilica in just over twenty, following the walls. For everything else, there’s a bus that stops right outside.

On foot

These are the times for a relaxed walk, mostly flat.

• Vatican Museums — 10 minutes
• St Peter’s Basilica — 22 minutes
• Via Cola di Rienzo, the main shopping street — 25 minutes
• Castel Sant’Angelo — 29 minutes

The walk out is mostly downhill, the walk back mostly uphill — a difference you’ll feel in the evening, after a full day on your feet.

A longer walk

The historic center is on the other side of the Tiber, and still within walking distance: just over half an hour.

• Piazza Navona — 38 minutes
• Campo de’ Fiori — 38 minutes
• Piazza del Popolo — 39 minutes
• Pantheon — 43 minutes

For the return journey, when your legs are tired, there are the buses listed in the section below.

By public transport

Bus 49 stops right outside. Bus 46 stops a little further along the same street, and is the line that goes into the center: on its own, or with one connection, it reaches almost everywhere.

• Campo de’ Fiori — 20 minutes
• Castel Sant’Angelo — 21 minutes
• Piazza Navona — 22 minutes
• Pantheon — 26 minutes
• Piazza Venezia — 26 minutes
• Trastevere — 37 minutes, with tram 8
• Colosseum — 37 minutes, with one more bus

From Cipro metro, fifteen minutes on foot, Line A takes you to Termini in twenty-five minutes and drops you a short walk from Piazza del Popolo and the Trevi Fountain.

• Piazza del Popolo — 21 minutes
• Roma Termini — 25 minutes
• Trevi Fountain — 30 minutes
• Villa Borghese — 30 minutes, with bus 490

All times are door to door, including the walks. Waiting time at the stop depends on the time of day.

If you need directions

The times above cover the most popular destinations, but Rome is a big city. For anywhere not on the list, a message and I’ll tell you how to get there from here.